Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Medical Data Services Help Workers Make Informed Choices

As more employers are offering health coverage that encourages employees to take more "financial responsibility for their health care choices," some companies are also providing medical data services to help workers make informed choices, USA Today reports. Offering such services is an additional cost for employers at a time when health care costs are already rising, but many companies say such services will eventually "improve medical care, cut expenses and increase worker productivity." USA Today reports that a number of medical data companies have "rush[ed] to fill the information void," providing "medical literature searches, data on the quality of local hospitals and information about treatment options." USA Today highlights four companies that specialize in providing medical data services:

iHealer: An Internet-based service being piloted by "a large employer," the service asks workers about their illnesses and ranks treatment options based on "personal preferences and quality of life issues."

Subimo: Offered through insurers, the service helps workers choose hospitals and outlines the pros and cons of treatment for three dozen conditions. Clients include health insurance companies Unicare in Massachusetts, First Choice, Definity Health, PacifiCare and Health-Market.

David Hines, founder of Consumer's Medical Resources, said his service provides information on certain diseases and does not make recommendations or diagnoses. "This is an informed-decision-making service to help you know everything about a disease, its prognosis, treatment options and the questions you should be asking. We don't tell people what to do," Hines said. He added that the information can often help workers save money because they sometimes choose medication over surgery, reduce the amount of medication they take or, "in a few cases," discover a misdiagnosis. Consumer groups are "cautiously" welcoming medical data services. They say that such services will be helpful only if they provide accurate information. Gail Shearer of the Consumers Union said she supports the idea of providing workers with more health care information. "Too often in the past, treatment alternatives have been treated like secrets to be kept from patients," Shearer said (Appleby, USA Today, 1/22).
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